Human beings have long carried articles by attaching them to belts worn around the waist or hips or to harnesses or slings supported at least in part by the shoulders. Such articles have included canteens, weapons, food, and the like. Carriers such as bags or pouches for receiving and supporting the articles may be supported by the belt, harness or sling.
Photographers often carry their photographic gear in carriers such as pouches or bags that are supported by a belt, harness or sling. Such photographic gear may include lenses and camera bodies with lenses attached.
The lenses that may be attached to a single lens reflex or medium format camera body are usually cylindrically shaped objects of varying lengths. Telephoto lenses and other lenses with a long focal length are typically longer along the major axis of the generally cylindrical lens than are shorter focal length lenses.
Carriers for lenses and for cameras with lenses attached preferably should have compartments shaped to receive these devices in order to securely contain them without excess movement of the lenses and the cameras with lenses inside the compartment.
Photographers frequently attach lens hoods to their lenses when taking pictures, in order to shield the lens from a source of bright light such as the sun. This will result in pictures that are not distorted or washed out by the bright light. The lens hood is attached to the front of the lens and projects from the lens in order to shelter the light-gathering element of the lens from the bright light. The lens hood may be removed from the lens, usually by rotating it so that it disengages from a ridge or other locking element on the front of the lens.
The lens hood adds to the length of the lens when it is attached to the lens in an operative position. Being longer, the lens and hood (or camera with lens having hood attached) will not be accommodated in a carrier shaped to fit the lens (or camera with lens) without the hood attached in the operative position, unless the compartment is oversized to begin with or the lens or camera with lens projects out of the compartment. Having an oversized compartment means that the carrier is oversized. This is usually not desirable in order to avoid excess movement and especially in carriers that are meant to be carried on the photographer's body by a belt, harness, sling or the like. On the other hand, allowing the lens or camera with lens to project out of the compartment exposes it to hazards such as rain and other moisture, dust, theft, and the chance of simply falling out of the compartment.
Usually the lens hood can be reversed on the lens so that it does not project beyond the light-gathering element of the lens. The lens will be wider where the hood surrounds it. A carrier with a compartment shaped to fairly closely fit the lens (or camera with lens) can usually accommodate the lens (or camera with lens) with a reversed hood.
Photographers such as sports and combat photojournalists must be ready to take pictures of short-lived and unpredictable events. They will prefer to keep their equipment as ready for use as possible. This may require leaving the lens hood in a deployed or operative position on the lens so that the photographer does not have to take the time to attach a lens hood to the lens or, if one is attached to the lens in a reversed position, to remove the reversed lens from the lens, turn it around, and reattach it.
A need exists, therefore, for a carrier for a lens or a camera with a lens that can accommodate the lens or the camera with a lens wherein the lens has no hood attached, has a hood is in a deployed position or has a hood reversed on the lens. The carrier should be able to accommodate the lens or a camera with lens in a fully enclosed or secure way in all of these conditions and it should do so without being permanently oversized.